Finesse reel opinions

[Chrisper4694]

So I won a pretty nice $200 dropshot style Rod. I have a bunch of gift cards to dicks so I figure I'll splurge on a nice reel to match it. I'm thinking 100-150 price range. Light enough to match the rod and smooth enough to battle big freshwater fish. What do you guys think?

I've been looking at pflueger, Abu Garcia. Never tried Lewis, but have heard good things.

[XXlyakattacker]

Spinning or baitcaster?

[Jigman13]

Come a lil out of pocket on top of those gift cards and get yourself the shimano Stradic CI-4 or the new Daiwa ballistic. If you're gonna splurge you might as well go for broke dude... Then again, I'm a tackle whore lol

[Chrisper4694]

Ehh, idk man, that's a lot of bells and whistles that I just don't see making a lot of difference. I have 75 in gift cards and a 15 coupon. I don't mind paying for quality, but I don't usually pay for bells and whistles.

[Jigman13]

The shimano saros is nice. So are the daiwa excelers and the new fuego. Procyon ain't bad either. I've been leaning more towards daiwa as of late bc my shimanos started ceasing up on me. Prob need a good grease job...

No bells and whistles with ci4 stradic and ballistic. Just well made machines with cajones! Plus they're pretty light reels in 2000 size.

[catfishonthelake]

Just my personal preference...but for a freshwater spinning reel I would go with a Shimano. The Shimano Sahara is around $80 and in my opinion, the best reel on the market for the money. The Symetre is in the same price range and is a solid reel as well. If you're going to up your price tag to $150, I'd agree with the Saros, and since I'm a fan of overspending and pricey gear , the Ci4 would be my reel. The Ci4 is super-light as it has a carbon fiber frame that is substantially lighter and stronger than aluminum. These reels were designed for finesse fishing to handle super light lines. They're pretty sweet if you ask me.

That being said, I have a bunch of Saharas and they're the most dependable reels I own for their price point. I've tested hundreds of spinning reels in my lifetime and I have zero faith in anything that says Daiwa on it. Spend $80 on a Sahara and you'll have it for the rest of your life if you don't totally beat on it and send it in for service every few years.

[Chrisper4694]

that's some good info. I've always been a big fan of shimano rods but never fully got sold on their reels. My daiwa saltwater baitcaster is probably one of my favorite reels. spinning i've always gone semi cheap with pflueger and never been disappointed on the value. I would never buy another quantum as i've had nothing but crap gear from them.

I think i will probably give shimano spinning reels a chance, you've got me leaning towards the sahara...a great reel for $80 sounds pretty damn sweet to me!

I'll probably load it with #15 pp, use it for drop shot, ned, downsized jerkbaits, etc.

[catfishonthelake]

You got it Chris. I do think that's the way you should go. The newest generation Sahara (the FE I think) is pretty sweet looking too, I think it's a gunmetal-type finish. The 2500 or 3000 is under 10 ounces, is perfect for 15-lb. braid, has a 6:1 gear ration and 11lbs. of drag. That will certainly handle anything you hook into.

[FASTEDDIE29]

I've had a Shimano Sedona on my ultra lite jigging rod for 16 years! The rods have changed but the reel still works the same as the day I bought it!

[UglyStick]

Shimano...Shimano...Shimano... I agree 100% with Mark's (Catfish) suggestions.

For dropshot the reel isn't as important, it's really more the rod. If you were talking finesse swimbaits, I would say don't go less than a Stradic FK or Stradic CI4 - I fish a Stella for my finesse work and wouldn't trade it for the world... but then again, I'm also a high end tackle whore...